To me this is the most important component of any beer. I tend to like beers with a lower carbonation so it can coat my tongue in something like an imperial stout. But a brighter session IPA would call for higher carbonation for that crisp finish. What do you guys think? Carbonation is the harmonious integrator?
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Carbonation in beer?
(7 posts)-
Posted 1 year ago #
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I prefer beers and meads as still as possible. For me carbonation screws up a beer more often than not by making it too thin. That said, I had my favorite IPA on the cask once and it just didn't work as well.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Hmm, I didn't think about it when I posted this, but cask beer is a totally different story. It really depends on the IPA for me on cask. If the hops aren't done right it just doesn't cut being non-carbonated and all, but usually I enjoy IPAs on cask, especially Imperials. Something about the way the cask just tames hops and brings out their true fruity flavors.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Yep, for me it depends on style but overall I find highly carbonated beers do distract from the taste. On the other hand, lack of carbonation can detract from the beer. One recent example is The Bruery's Autumn Maple which has zero head, giving it a stale effect.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I need carbonation in my beer. The more the better. I just associate no carbonation with the beer being flat. Maybe because I am from the US?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Definitely depends on the style of the beer. I love Orval and it's extremely carbonated. I also like a number of the very highly carbonated Jolly Pumpkin beers. They just wouldn't be the same without it. But certainly there are beers that benefit from lower carbonation...imperial stouts come to mind.
If you ask me, yeast is the most important ingredient in a beer. There are some flavors that you just can't get if you don't have the right yeast. This is particularly true of Belgian style beers, but I think it applies to other beers as well.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Oh yea, you are definitely right on the yeast component, which also contributes to the carbonation they have. Nothing has personified the rise in talk about yeasts more than Belgian yeast.
Posted 1 year ago #
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